Blood in the FK universe is really undiluted Ribena, a sickenly
sweet black current drink. The product is left undiluted so that it approximates
the consistency of fresh blood; however, it often makes the actors sick
in this form.
I am told that Ribena is often available
in Oriental markets, specifically grocery stores catering to immigrants
from Hong Kong or Malaysia. One brand to look for is by Smith-Kline Beacham,
in Brentford, Middlesex, England. Their exclusive supplier is The Gilway
Company, Ltd., 299 Forest Ave., Paramus, NJ 07652. They sell a 32 oz. and
16 oz. bottle, both in concentrated form (and I'm told with a new non-drip
cap). The following appears on the label: [Her Majesty's Official Seal]
By appointment to Her Majesty The Queen, Suppliers of Lucozade and Shloer,
Beechamn Products, Brentford, Middlesex.
The ingredients are as follows: Water,
sugar, blackcurrant juice, glucose syrup, citric acid, vitamins (C, Niacin,
B6, B12), preservatives (sodium benzoate, sodium metabisulfite), natural
color (grapeskin color).

There's also a warning notice which states "Important Ribena
should always be given to babies and children in diluted form, never undiluted
in a bottle. For young children, always dilute with at least 6 parts of
water."

Flying

Flying vampires are essentially a thing of the past for FK actors.
Nearly all of the shots of vampires actually flying were filmed during
season one. And none of the actors enjoyed the experience. Flying for FK
involved, like so many other shows and musicals, quite an array of wires,
cables, and equipment.
For season two and three, flying footage
was simply recycled or the shots were designed to show vampires just taking
off or landing. The bird's-eye-view you see of the city, presumeably from
the point of view of a flying vampire, is really an ultralight being flown
with a camera attatched to it.

Vision

First season, we were introduced to the world from Nick's point
of view

when he was hunting. It appeared as an oval red circle
in the center of the screen--implying infra-red vision--or somethng similar
that allowed Nick to perceive people by a heat signature. Second
season, they spiffed it up and the whole world turned an eerie red when
Nick started to seriously hunt for evidence, for victims, and even the
killers.

Eyes

During the first season, FK vampire's eyes were the result of
special yellow contact lenses. Crew members have told us that these contacts
were extrememly painful for the actors, often necessitating the use of
special eye drops. There was much concern over the use of these eyedrops
when it was discovered that prolonged use could cause permanent tissue
damage. Fortunately none of the actors were injured.

In the second seaon, actors began to
wear new contact lenses made in Italy. These lenses were designed to reflect
any colored light shined on them. Geraint Wyn Davies often jokes about
the first time he wore the contacts, telling us he stumbled into the camera
during filming. When movement is required, actors usually wear the contacts
from the first season. We are also told that these lenses may still be
as painful to wear as the first season lenses and that the eyes drops are
still used.

The yellow glow you see around a vampire's eyes in the first season
was done by shining a flashlight through a rectangluar piece of cardboard
in the actor's eyes. The vampire glow during the second and third season
comes from lights attached to the filming cameras.

Mirrors

Unlike some vampire shows or movies, FK vampires have been seen
in mirrors. However, this wasn't originally intended. Several episodes,
including the pilot, showed vampires clearly visible in mirrors. In the
Canadian version of Father Figure, Nick says that he can be seen in mirrors
only sometimes.